All posts by h716a5.icu

Windward Islands won the regional Under-19 limited-overs championship after afternoon rain prematurely ended the final against Guyana at the Melbourne Club ground yesterday

26-Aug-2002Windward Islands won the regional Under-19 limited-overs championship after afternoon rain prematurely ended the final against Guyana at the Melbourne Club ground yesterday.When rain intervened at 2:56 p.m., Guyana, set 201 from 50 overs, were 61 for one from 19.5 overs.Higher placingThe match was declared a no-result because both sides did not face a minimum of 25 overs, but the Windwards were crowned champions because of their higher placing in the preceding three-day competition.Summarised scores: Windward Islands 200-9 in 50 overs (Ezikiel Francis 47, Liam Sebastian 45 n.o., Alston Bobb 41; Z. Saffie 3-31, D. Peters 2-23, D. Mohammed 2-25). Guyana 61-1 in 19.5 overs (M. Purken 28, R. Ramgobin 27 n.o.). No result.

Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes that signing for Aston Villa would be a step in the right direction for James Ward-Prowse, who Football Insider’s Kevin Phillips believes would cost £35m+.

On the back of another excellent season for Southampton, in which he was one of just three ever-present outfield players, the midfielder has been strongly linked with a switch to Villa Park.

Ward-Prowse managed eight Premier League goals, his best career return, whilst he also added seven assists which meant he contributed to more than 30 percent of Southampton’s league goals.

Two of which were spectacular free-kicks in Saints’ 4-3 victory at Villa back in early-November.

Despite his excellent form, the 26-year-old narrowly missed out on being named in the final 26-man England squad for the Euro’s after failing to get the nod following Trent Alexander Arnold’s withdrawal.

But whilst Gareth Southgate wasn’t completed convinced, Dean Smith has been, with Villa hoping to make the midfielder their second summer addition following the club-record arrival of Emiliano Buendia of Norwich.

And Bent told Football FanCast that he believes it’s a move the Southampton man should make:

“Where Aston Villa have got a few talented players, it would be a good move for him.

“I think he’d probably, well not push for it but he’s the captain at Southampton. Could he play another season? Maybe, but I’m not sure if they’re moving forward.

“And Aston Villa are a big club, maybe he wants to move as a stepping stone so it would be a good move for him.”

Aston Villa could begin talks with the representatives of River Plate next week over Julian Alvarez, according to respected Radio Continental journalist Sebastián Srur on Twitter.

The Argentina international is said to be eyeing a move to Europe this window to advance his career [Birmingham Live].

Completing an outstanding 2020/21 campaign, the versatile offensive talent registered 11 goal contributions from 20 outings; four goals and seven assists [Transfermarkt].

Roughly translated, Srur claimed the following on Twitter: “Aston Villa, interested in Julian Alvarez. It will be necessary to see if they advance with a concrete offer. There may be meetings next week in England.”

Of course, Aston Villa have already been very prominent in the summer window, having broken their transfer record to acquire Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City [BBC].

Additionally, the Villains have brought in Ashley Young on a free transfer and could now be set for a third signing as Alvarez mulls over his future.

As you can imagine, loads of Villa diehards took to Twitter to revel in this latest news.

Villa fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here are how some supporters summed up their feelings about these recent developments, with one fan even comparing the youngster to Lionel Messi.

“The next messi in my books, get it done”

Credit: @GreaseSZNN”Trust me he’s unreal watch him most weeks”Credit: @rossmow6″I need a signing now. Next week is too far and I’m too excited for news”Credit: @myburneraccou11″I love these kind of deals”Credit: @_porsalin”YES!!!!!!”Credit: @MilanRnic1″Get it done, decent young talent”Credit: @stubz14In other news, Aston Villa fans react to a Jack Grealish update.

The Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur witnessed the coming of age of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who played a memorable knock to pull of a sensational last-ball win for West Indies

Santhosh S06-Nov-2002The Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur witnessed the coming of age of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who played a memorable knock to pull of a sensational last-ball win for West Indies. Sarwan snatched the thrilling victory, smashing a low full toss from Ajit Agarkar to the extra-cover fence. The post-match ceremony, then, saw Sarwan being fittingly crowned the Man of the Match for his outstanding unbeaten 83 off 89 balls, a knock punctuated with half-a-dozen boundaries and three big sixes.Earlier, the game was disrupted by irate and disappointed spectators throwing bottles into the ground after West Indies came within shouting distance of victory. Play was held up at the end of the 47th over, with the tourists just 13 runs away from a win. The players returned after a ten-minute break but by then West Indies had lost the momentum as the contest dramatically burst to life in 49th over bowled by Ashish Nehra.The dismissal of Shivnarine Chanderpaul (23 off 18 balls), caught by Ganguly off Nehra, suddenly turned the game on its head. The Indian left-arm quick went on to concede just one run, a leg-bye, to leave the West Indies needing six runs off six balls.With the woefully out-of-form Ridley Jacobs (0) also running himself out in the final over, the tourists found themselves three runs short of a victory with one ball to be bowled. But a calm and collected Ramnaresh Sarwan, calculated well, chipping down the tack to turn Agarkar’s intended full toss into low full toss, which he then promptly tonked to the boundary.In the morning, India elected to bat and finished with 283/6 in their allotted 50 overs. After Virender Sehwag (28 off 26 balls) and Sourav Ganguly (16) failed on a belter of a track, it was left to Ajit Agarkar – batting at number three – and VVS Laxman to rebuild the India innings. The two batsmen did the job in fine style, adding 98 runs in 20 overs.Agarkar played strokes in all directions and reached his second ODI fifty off 61 balls. Incidentally, his first, scored against Zimbabwe in 2000, continues to remain the fastest ODI fifty by an Indian batsman.After Laxman (47) fell, bowled by leggie Mahendra Nagamootoo, Agarkar went on to find a good partner in vice-captain Rahul Dravid. Relishing his new role as a top-order batsman, Agarkar smashed a couple of huge sixes and eleven boundaries on his way to 95 off 102 balls in Dravid’s company, before Pedro Collins had him snared by Gayle at covers.Dashing middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh (4) failed, and so did the debutant Jai P Yadav (0), cleaned up by Mervyn Dillon. But the prodigious Mohammad Kaif came up with a brilliant cameo – 31* off 18 balls – and along with Dravid (46* off 42 balls) helped India post a big total.When the tourists replied, they lost Chris Gayle (7) early, caught by Yadav at mid-off off Agarkar’s bowling. But Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels shrugged off the loss and scored freely.Hinds was considerably fortunate, umpire Asoka de Silva failing to see a thick edge and turning down an appeal for caught behind. In the same over, the West Indies opener celebrated the good fortune by smacking three boundaries off Ashish Nehra.Samuels is an elegant batsman, and he continued his fine showing in this series, stroking the ball with ease to score a fluent half-century. The 86-run second wicket partnership ended when Samuels (51) was bowled off an inside edge off Kumble’s bowling. With skipper Carl Hooper (4) departing after a brief stay, caught at the long-on fence by Yadav off the bowling of Sehwag, the West Indies were suddenly in strife.Hinds, though, found a new ally in Ramnaresh Sarwan and the two went about the task of resuscitating their team’s challenge with considerable ease. With Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble clearly struggling to find any sort of rhythm, the job was made easy for the Caribbean batsmen.Hinds and Sarwan punished both the spinners – almost at will. Only Sehwag (10-0-37-1) could bring some sanity to the Indian bowling.Hinds made 93 off 107 balls before he was finally given out caught behind off Nehra. Other than the lucky break early in his innings, he also enjoyed two let-offs – debutant Jai P Yadav and Kaif being the culprits.Sarwan, then, took over, scoring the bulk of the runs in the 71-run fifth wicket partnership with Chanderpaul, which came off just 51 balls. The West Indies victory was literally ensured by then. But the crowd trouble followed leading to the unfolding of the drama which culminated in Sarwan ensuring the last-ball win.

An update has emerged on Newcastle midfielder Matty Longstaff, regarding West Brom’s interest in his signature.

What’s the talk?

According to The Chronicle, West Brom are one of a number of teams interested in signing Matty Longstaff on loan from Newcastle this summer.

West Brom, Middlesbrough, Norwich and Anderlecht are all said to be eyeing up a potential swoop for the midfielder, who Newcastle are willing to part ways with on a temporary basis next season.

Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown once compared Longstaff to Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, whilst likening his brother Sean to Michael Carrick. He told MOTD 2, as transcribed by The Mag:

“The young lad should be knocking on Steve Bruce’s door and saying ‘Why didn’t you play me sooner?’

“He made more passes, he covered more distance, he really put in a performance.

“It was almost to say to the boss, ‘Hey, look at me, you have overlooked me for too long.’

“It was like a Paul Scholes…

“I know that’s big praise and they are big boots for him to copy, but him and his brother – Carrick, Scholes…you know, they did very well.”

Fans would love it

West Brom fans would love it if the club managed to seal a deal to bring Longstaff to the club on a season-long loan from Newcastle.

Conor Gallagher has returned to Chelsea following the end of his loan at The Hawthorns and his exit leaves a gaping hole in the West Brom midfield that needs to be filled ahead of next season. This is where Longstaff could come in, with the Newcastle man potentially replacing Gallagher as the industrious box-to-box player for the Baggies.

Longstaff did not enjoy a successful campaign with Newcastle last term. He only played five times, including four starts, and averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.29 – having managed a score of 6.47 in the Premier League the previous year for the Toon Army.

Whilst this may not seem appealing for West Brom on paper, Longstaff is only 21 and has not had a chance to play regular first-team football over the course of a season, which is where a loan to West Brom would come into his development.

The £18.4k-per-week dynamo could excel if given the chance to play regularly at a lower standard in the Championship after showing some signs of quality in the Premier League.

Longstaff scored two Premier League goals in his first season for Newcastle, including a winner against Manchester United, which shows that he has does have the potential to play at Premier League level.

Therefore, West Brom could be getting a talented young player with the motivation to set the Championship alight to realise his potential, which is why fans would be delighted with this deal and why West Brom need to get it done.

AND in other news, Major West Bromwich Albion announcement expected imminently, fans should be buzzing…

Wasim Akram produced a devastating performance with the ball as PCB Reds cantered to a convincing 92-run victory against PCB Whites in the Super League Ramazan Cup One-day Cricket Tournament at Gaddafi Stadium Wednesday

Sports Correspondent14-Nov-2002Wasim Akram produced a devastating performance with the ball as PCB Reds cantered to a convincing 92-run victory against PCB Whites in the Super League Ramazan Cup One-day Cricket Tournament at Gaddafi Stadium Wednesday.Defending a low total of 182, skipper Wasim bowled six hostile overs to finish with five for 12 to bundle out PCB Whitesfor just 90 runs in 29.3 overs.Wasim, who got the Man-of-the-Match award for an all-round performance against PCB Greens Tuesday, also scored28 to pocket the player’s award of Rs 5,000. He also earned Rs 2,000 for hitting the only six of the match.Wasim started the PCB Whites’ slide when had Shadab Kabircaught at second slip by Naumanullah off the last ball of hissecondover. He then took two wickets in the next over. First he trapped Farhan Adil (0) off the first ball then trapped PCB Whites skipper Naved Latif LBW for four.Wasim grabbed the other two wickets in his fifth over by having wicket-keeper Amin-ur-Rehman caught at third man by Khalid Latif for one and Tahir Mughal LBW for two.Pacers Faisal Afridi and Yasir Arafat ably supported Wasimby taking two wickets each for 23 and 25 runs, respectively.Test discard Qaisar Abbas top-scored for PCB with 25.Earlier, Naved wonthe toss and decided to bowl first. Thedecision bore fruits as PCB Reds were in deep trouble at 74 for six by the 24thover. But a 62-run stand for the seventh-wicket between skipper Wasim and wicket-keeper Hafiz Khalid retrieved theposition for PCB Reds. Khalid scored 35 off 84 balls with five boundaries. Wasim, besides a six also cracked three fours in his 34-ball 28.Tailender Faisal Afridi contributed an invaluable 25 with five hits to the fence. Faisal and Khalid shared the cash prizeof Rs 2000 for hitting most number of boundaries.ScoreboardPCB REDS:Imran Nazir b Fazle Akbar 16Khalid Latif c Farhan b Tahir 4Yasir Hameed c Amin b Tahir 8Misbah-ul-Haq c Naved b Zahid 11Naumanullah b Naved 17Hafiz Khalid c Zahid b Kaneria 35Yasir Arafat c Amin b Zahid 2Wasim Akram run out 28Junaid Zia c Shadab b Fazle Akbar 1Faisal Afridi c Riffat b Kaneria 25Aqeel Ahmed not out 2EXTRAS (LB-1, W-27, NB-5) 33TOTAL (all out, 46.1 overs) 182FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-28, 3-35, 4-71, 5-71, 6-74, 7-136, 8-143, 9-178.BOWLING: Fazle Akbar 8-2-40-2; Tahir Mughal 7-1-28-2;Zahid Saeed 10-3-24-2; Naved Latif 7-1-36-1;Danish Kaneria 8.1-3-36-2; Qaiser Abbas 6-1-17-0.PCB WHITES:Shadab Kabir c Nauman b Wasim 1Riffatullah c Khalid b Faisal 0Kamran Sajid lbw b Faisal 6Farhan Adil lbw b Wasim 0Naved Latif lbw b Wasim 4Qaiser Abbas c Khalid b Yasir 25Amin-ur-Rehman c Khalid b Wasim 1Tahir Mughal lbw b Wasim 2Zahid Saeed c Misbah b Y. Arafat 12Fazle Akbar not out 15Danish Kaneria b Aqeel 15EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4, NB-4) 9TOTAL (all out, 29.3 overs) 90FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-6, 3-10, 4-15, 5-15, 6-16, 7-19, 8-55, 9-63.BOWLING: Wasim Akram 6-2-12-5; Faisal Afridi 6-2-12-2;Junaid Zia 5-1-17-0; Yasir Arafat 7-1-23-2; Aqeel Ahmed 5.3-1-25-1.RESULT: PCB Reds won by 92 runs.UMPIRES: Salim Badar and Asad Rauf.MATCH REFEREE: Khateeb Rizwan.MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Wasim Akram.

The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth has dropped a major Leeds United transfer update.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have yet to make a real splash in the transfer market thus far, with Amari Miller’s signing from Birmingham City the only arrival to come through at Elland Road.

But now, Smyth has claimed that another player is set to make his arrival on a permanent deal.

And, via his official Twitter account, Smyth said: “Majority of Leeds United squad back in pre-season testing tomorrow morning. Jack Harrison won’t be, he’s still quarantining. Deal to sign him permanently from Manchester City still happening, expected to be completed next week. #lufc”

Fans will be buzzing

With eight goals and eight assists in his first full season in the Premier League, Harrison enjoyed a superb campaign in Leeds’ return to the top-flight.

The 24-year-old formed an exciting wing duo with Raphinha, and Bielsa was quick to praise him earlier this year in terms of the impact he has had at Elland Road.

Speaking after his performance in a 2-1 win over Sheffield United, the Leeds boss said: “He’s a player who, when he manages to play at his best version, he has a big influence on our offensive game.”

Leeds fans have already made their feelings clear about just how delighted they would be at signing Harrison permanently back in February when news emerged from The Athletic about the potential cost of a deal.

And for former Leeds man David Norris, completing a deal for Harrison is an absolute no-brainer.

Speaking exclusively to FFC just last month, he said: “His attitude, his determination, his endeavour, he does both sides of the game, which is obviously a must with Bielsa, and a good pro.  Only (heard) good, positive things about him. It’s a no-brainer if they can get that one done.”

It’s exactly why Smyth’s latest update on Harrison will surely have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds facing major transfer blow as fresh twist emerges…

It is not often that a sportsman makes such a bold statement

Sean Beynon11-Nov-2002It is not often that a sportsman makes such a bold statement. But to his credit, Nasser Hussain did. In his Sunday Telegraph column, the England skipper conceded that it was ‘blatantly obvious’ that his ludicrous decision to field first was a ‘big mistake.’ Brave words, which should be applauded, but they do nothing to lessen the folly of a choice which handed a massive advantage to the best side in the world.Hussain followed an unusually correct call with an unusually incorrect decision. On a fine batting pitch, without a cloud in the sky, he denied his strong top order the chance to prove themselves. Instead, he put enormous pressure on his bowlers, who spectacularly failed to respond. In bowling first, the clearest possible signal was sent that England were scared of Australia’s vaunted attack.The second day excepted, this was an abject England performance. They were thrashed, albeit by a great side. They had no answer to Matthew Hayden’s batting, nor to the deadly accuracy of the Australian bowling. It was carnage, and there seems to be little hope of a way back.Despite the batting collapses, the fielding mishaps and the bowling inconsistencies, there remain – just – reasons for optimism. England did not just win Friday’s play, they dominated it. From start to finish, the tourists took control. If such disciplined bowling, watertight fielding and gutsy batting were a feature of England’s play rather than a sideshow, this would be a devilishly close series.There is ability there. England possess their most solid top order for over a decade and have a potentially decent bowling attack. With the bat, they were let down by poor conversion. Certainly, four fifties in the top five is better than none, but the inability to complete the job was probably the difference between the two teams. Two big hundreds, rather than four small fifties, would have given England a serious chance of saving the game.The bowlers remain a worry. Matthew Hoggard – a fine bowler in England – found little swing and no cheer. In such friendly batting conditions he looks distinctly average, and will be lucky to retain his place. He is a fine talent, and must be reminded of that, but this tour is too much after handling much of the England workload for twelve months. Andrew Caddick was typically frustrating. Such a wonderful bowler, he still bowls in fits and starts, and in turn looks innocuous and dangerous.Only Ashley Giles bowled steadily throughout the Test, with Craig White little more than a stopgap. With Simon Jones missing, England’s bowling looked threadbare, and they must address it. Presuming Andrew Flintoff fills the gap left by Simon Jones, it seems likely that Hoggard will make way for Steve Harmison or Chris Silverwood. The obvious choice would be Harmison, for he was chosen in the original party. Silverwood does possess genuine pace however, and is hungrier than ever to prove his critics wrong.Despite their lowest total against Australia in nearly a century, there are unlikely to be changes in England’s top order. Robert Key will push hard, but could only realistically replace John Crawley, who was solid in the first innings, and handles Shane Warne with something approaching aplomb.Whatever the decisions, England have a tough ten days coming up. With Hussain absent for the birth of his second child, Marcus Trescothick is likely to lead the side against Australia A. They will be a strong side, quite possibly too strong for England. Ashes hopes may be minimal, but England must pick themselves up and prepare positively for Adelaide. If they don’t, things might just get worse.

West Ham United have been linked with a move for Benfica striker Haris Seferovic as they look to bolster their attacking options.

What’s the story?

The Hammers have reportedly made contact with the Portuguese giants after a stellar campaign from the 29-year-old attracted their attention, according to O Jogo (print edition, July 5th, page 13).

A separate report in The Mirror has claimed Seferovic’s services will cost up to £25 million this summer, despite the £50m buyout clause in the Switzerland international’s contract.

Moyes will be on cloud nine

After an incredible sixth-place finish in the Premier League standings last term, West Ham will be looking to bolster their ranks ahead of regular Thursday night fixtures in the Europa League next season.

The capital club were left with Michail Antonio as their only recognised striker when Sebastien Haller departed for Ajax back in January, meaning a new forward is thought to be high up on David Moyes’ wish list.

Seferovic is coming off the back of a magnificent campaign for club and country after bagging 26 goals in all competitions for Benfica, before notching three efforts for his country at Euro 2020.

His brace against reigning European champions France was crucial in his nation’s run to the quarter-finals of the competition, and his standout displays seemingly caught the eye of several sides across the continent.

Fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly in the race to secure Seferovic’s signature, but news that the West Ham hierarchy have made contact with Benfica will surely leave Moyes on Cloud Nine.

The addition of another proven goalscorer to the east London outfit’s ranks would be a huge bonus to their chances of success in the upcoming campaign, and his style appears to be a perfect match.

Seferovic thrives off of quality service into the box and excels at holding up the ball and bringing others into play, assets which would serve him well under Moyes’ tutelage, should he make a switch to England.

The Scottish manager needs another striker going into next season, and he’d surely love to have one like Seferovic.

And, in other news…West Ham make approach to sign “complete” 6 ft 3 monster, Moyes will be buzzing 

New Zealand lived out the cliche that a team united can always beat a team of stars when recording a surprisingly easy 10-wicket win over India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington today

Lynn McConnell14-Dec-2002New Zealand lived out the cliche that a team united can always beat a team of stars when recording a surprisingly easy 10-wicket win over India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington today.The National Bank Series win, achieved at 4.28pm was completed in barely two and a half days giving New Zealand their 52nd victory in their 300th Test match.India batted for only 96.5 overs in the match.To place the level of India’s performance in perspective it should be remembered that last summer world cricket minnow Bangladesh faced more overs in each of their two Tests in New Zealand. In Hamilton they faced 104.3 and followed that with 105 in Wellington.India were dismissed for a disappointing 121 in their second innings, after they had conceded an 86-run lead on the first innings. New Zealand were left needing 36 to win, a feat achieved without loss by the man of the match Mark Richardson, and Lou Vincent.The game was all but over by the time India had reached the 86 required to make New Zealand bat again. They were six wickets down after Kiwi fast man Shane Bond ripped through their middle-order to leave the Indians reeling.He finished with four wickets for 33 runs, bowling Sachin Tendulkar for 51 to end the innings of misery for the tourists.There was no excuse for the ineptness of the Indian batting. There was some movement off the track and through the air, never more so than when a Bond inswinger bowled Rahul Dravid, but Dravid invited the ball through a huge gap as he played a luxurious drive totally out of keeping with the situation facing his side.But that wasn’t reason enough for the capitulation that twice occurred in this match and which made a mockery of several of the players’ rankings on the world stage.Only Dravid, for his first innings 76, and Tendulkar for his battling 51 in the second innings, could take any comfort from their efforts and even they were below the batting standard that might normally be expected of them.The 89 scored by Richardson in the first innings was an example that there is still a place for tradesmen in the game. His application over 407 minutes was a textbook demonstration of what the conditions required and, given the knowledge that a similar pitch can be expected in Hamilton, he may yet be a significant force in the second Test.Considering all that has happened to New Zealand cricket this year, the result was a triumph for the amount of depth now emerging on the scene here.The side has won its third Test match without the services of world-class all-rounder Chris Cairns. In Jacob Oram it introduced another player to the international game who rose to the occasion with his bowling and fielding at least.There was also no need to use left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori in the bowling at all. For the first time in his 43-Test career he wasn’t required to bowl a ball. He did highlight the depth in the New Zealand batting by completing a typical score of 20 as New Zealand looked to lengthen their lead this morning.And after the players’ strike, a public relations disaster for the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, it was the perfect retort to allay what could have been an embarrassing response from the public had the match not been won.It also produced an interesting response at the end of the game when for the first time in recent history, and possibly ever, the media were invited into the team dressing room for after-match interviews.This is quite a common phenomenon in the home of professional sport in the United States but is rare in New Zealand.Remembering that New Zealand fielded below its usual standard in the first innings, and batted below par, Richardson excepted, in the first innings, it was a mark of the side’s resilience that their second innings fielding was the perfect complement to some fine bowling.There’s no doubt that if you have a class fast bowler, who adds to his potency by being able to swing the ball, his effectiveness is greatly enhanced if he is supported by quality catching. New Zealand managed that in the second innings with skipper Fleming completing one of the better dismissals at first slip to remove teenager Parthiv Patel to expose the lower-order. Craig McMillan at backward point took another to send Ajit Agarkar packing while Scott Styris took a superb effort to end Zaheer Khan’s innings.In his seven-Test career, Bond has now taken 33 wickets at 22.84 – it is an unusually effective start to an international career by a fast bowler in this country.India’s bowlers lacked anything like the pace of Bond but there was much to admire in the bowling of left-armer Khan who ended with his maiden five-wicket haul in a Test innings when gaining Vettori’s wicket. Earlier, he had removed Richardson with the first delivery with the second new ball to give India every chance of chasing less than 100 runs to get in front.Unfortunately, his batsmen didn’t rise to the challenge and India suffered accordingly.This was their fourth loss in a row on the Basin Reserve, following those in 1975/76, in 1980/81 and in 1998/99. The ground has been New Zealand’s most successful Test ground, this victory being the 11th.